into the dark
by Chasseuse
Summary: Do you realise what you've done? What that could lead to? (ThunderBlink, minor DreamerBird.)
1. memories

Title: into the dark

Pairing: John Proudstar/Thunderbird, Clarice Fong/Blink

Summary: Do you realise what you've done? What that could lead to?

The problem was, Sonia could already see what was happening, whether Johnny knew it or not.

Rating: T (for language, violence and other themes)

Other Characters: Sonia/Dreamer, Lorna Jane/Polaris, Marcos Diaz/Eclipse, Reed Strucker, Caitlin Strucker, Lauren Strucker, Andy Strucker

Tags: TBD

Notes: This first chapter is heavily Sonia's point of view, but will expand as the fic proceeds. I think. We'll see. Also it will be shorter than the other chapters because I wanted it to be strictly Sonia's point of view in this chapter and that meant that it was organically shorter.

into the dark

 _Do you realise what you've done? What that could lead to?_ Sonia replayed the expression on his face in her mind's eye, thinking over the memory. She had meant what she said, that she knew very well what could happen. Where things might go from here. She knew the moment she put that memory into Clarice's head that she'd sealed her fate. Sonia loved Johnny, loved everything about him, from his steadfast calm to his strength when everything was falling apart. She could see how he could be very attractive to someone like Clarice, someone lost in the ocean of her powers and needing something, someone to ground her. That, and he wasn't terrible to look at. Her lips quirked up in the dark at the thought. She knew first hand how not terrible he was to look at.

 _What that could lead to?_ The words came again to wipe the smirk off her face and steal her breath. The problem was that it was already happening. From the moment Clarice had come into the warehouse, Sonia could see that something had changed with Johnny. She wasn't on that mission but she knew that he'd made a connection with her. It was in the way their eyes lingered on one another when they thought no one was looking. It was the way that he refused to leave her when her powers were out of control. Sure, she could see the logical reasons why he had to be one to stay, but his hand gripping hers almost unconsciously to anchor her to him said so much more. It was the way that he had started to teach her, how he said she needed something positive to focus on. Sonia saw the way her emerald eyes had softened slightly looking at him, belying the confusion in her voice as she scoffed about having no one and nothing.

Sonia's heart beat faster when she thought of the phone call between her and Johnny and the way that her blood had started to freeze in her veins as he shot down her suggestions. When he asked what she was going to do, she knew he would be angry with her. She knew that it might be the end of them, one more nail in the coffin that Johnny had built for their relationship. He didn't know how much she loved him, how much she was willing to risk to save his life. She'd made her decision the second he'd called her. She knew it was time to let him go and this may not be what he wanted, but it's what would have happened eventually. She just… sped things up a little.

Her eyes had caught sight of Clarice when she hung up and she just had to cycle through which memory she could use. Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Richmond… no, New York. The rainstorm. The beat up old walk up they had in the Bronx. She envisioned that night, when the hydro had gone out and all they had was candles to light the way. How he'd put a blanket over her and they watched the storm by firelight. She knew that would be unintrusive enough to slide into Clarice's memories seamlessly. She transformed herself into Clarice in her memory, thinking of how her eyes softened when she looked at Johnny. She remembered the feel of the blanket, how grounded and safe she felt on the couch with his hand on her thigh. She smelled the musty but familiar scent of rain coming down and heard the sound of it hitting the large window pane. She tasted the leftover chinese they'd ordered before the lights had gone out. The memory wasn't hers anymore, it was Clarice's and she just had to put it in her head.

She remembered talking quickly trying to get Clarice to understand the urgency of the situation, that the man she loved was in danger. It was quickly clear to her that she was going to have to go with Plan B, so taking a breath and feeling the sharp sting of tears pierce her eyes, she breathed out the memory, watching Clarice taking it in. They were so close that the transfer had taken hold very easily and she watched as those eerie emeralds dilated with the processing of new information. Except it was old information, information that she'd forgotten in the recesses of her memory. Sonia watched her blink as the memory set in and her eyes cleared and she knew it was done. She explained to Clarice there wasn't any time and Johnny was in danger. Sonia doesn't think she won't ever forget that little intake of breath that Clarice did as panic about her loved one seeped into her brain. It was not unlike the little intake of breath that Sonia had suffered when she answered the phone and heard the undercurrent of panic in Johnny's voice.

Watching Clarice try to open a portal when there was a small chance she would was one of the most terrifying moments of Sonia's life. It was followed by another moment of terror when she realised she might lose Johnny as a friend as well, watching his back as he stalked off to the warehouse. Her heart had broken a little because Clarice had been the one that was able to throw her arms around him in a life-affirming hug. She longed to do that herself, but it wouldn't fit the narrative that she'd planted in Clarice's head. She'd stood there in the clearing by herself for a few long moments, collecting her being back together again after the day.

After that, she returned to the house and saw that Johnny hadn't yet returned. Clarice had come up to her, asking where he'd gone and she explained that he just needed a minute to think. Sonia watched the girl's face fall a little but she reassured her that it had nothing to do with her. It wasn't exactly a lie. As she put her hands on Clarice's shoulders to comfort her, Johnny walked back in, brow furrowed in thought. Clarice detached from Sonia immediately, bounding up to Johnny cheerfully, asking if everything was alright.

Sonia's breath caught in that moment, unsure if she was ready to see how this would play out after all. But Johnny only gave Clarice a half smile and said that he was fine. He just needed some rest after the day's events. Clarice's face had fallen a little but she masked the hurt by offering him a cup of tea. Sonia had watched as Johnny had kept distance from Clarice for the whole evening and eventually Clarice had gone to bed, dejected and confused about what happened between them to have Johnny so distant from her.

Seeing her opening, Sonia had come to speak to him, to see where they might stand. But she barely got a word out. As she opened her mouth to explain herself, she heard his quiet command of

"Don't." and she knew the friendship might be over for him as well. It wasn't over for her though and she knew the risks when she'd made the decision. She'd left him though, and gone back to her cot near where Marcos was sleeping. He used to be across the room with Lorna, but he'd since moved to a single cot right by Sonia.

She knew that it would just take some time and Johnny would forgive her. He'd see that she'd made the right decision eventually. She just hoped that her actions wouldn't hurt Clarice too much in the interim.


	2. flames

**A/N:** Hey all so I changed the previous chapter and the current chapter to fix Sonia's name. Apologies for the confusion. I was a goober and accidentally used the actress' name as Dreamer's real name so now it's fixed. I hope for every thing anyway. Next chapter up Monday I hope. Thank-you for reading, please review!

into the dark

John Proudstar had a problem. The problem seemed to follow him everywhere he went even if he was alone. The problem followed him with phantom touches, phantom tastes, phantom smells. The problem was named Sonia. He had tried to put some distance between them when she came back to the warehouse, saying that if they were to work together, they couldn't be together. That didn't mean that part of him still felt as if they were together. In meetings, when their eyes would meet across the table, in training when she'd get that little smirk as they traded blow for blow, at night when she'd brew a second cup of tea, brushing his arm on the way out of the kitchen but never saying it was for him. Note: It was.

But then John encountered another problem. One that had eyes that were as green as the jade stones he'd seen in his grandmother's room, meant to purify and wash clean oneself of evil spirits. In a way, those eyes had purified him when he looked at them for the first time. They glowed and reached into his soul, taking the part of him he had for Sonia and enveloping it, to roost as a small spark waiting to burst to flame. He knew that things had changed again when he got out of the car and seen those eyes again, but within them was a knowledge that he was not yet part of. Those eyes belonged to Clarice Fong. His jaw clenched at the implications of her running to throw her arms around him and the spark that had come to roost flickered a little in response to it. He'd let her go and sent her off to have words with Sonia, the dread growing more and more.

He'd kept Clarice at arm's' length the entire evening and could see that it was hurting her that he was distancing himself from her. He just didn't know what to do yet and he needed time to plan, to adjust. He stopped Sonia's advance on him, stonewalling her so that she couldn't try to explain herself further. He knew that if he gave her the chance to speak, she would make sense or give him a narrative that would make the situation easier to swallow. He needed to have time to form his own thoughts before he allowed her to cloud the barely formed plans in his head.

The two problems warred in front of him as he lay in bed, unable to sleep. Sonia hadn't made him a tea that evening. He could still see the moment when Clarice realised that something wasn't right between the two of them and backed off, the ocean of uncertainty swallowing her once more. He took a deep breath and got up, rolling the tension out of his shoulders. He pulled a t-shirt over his head and silently made his way to kitchen. He brewed a cup of tea and set off outside to mull over the consequences of Sonia's actions.

So much had happened in the last few days that he hadn't had any time to consider the feeling he got when he looked at Clarice for the first time. He thought of the look on Sonia's face when she told him that she had thought about the ramifications. It was the same look she always wore when she knew something he didn't and she was just waiting for him to catch up. He sipped his tea and looked out into the dark, watching the wind rustle the trees beyond. He considered why Sonia might have picked him for Clarice to care about. Marcos had been a good friend to Clarice in the days since she'd arrived, giving advice and approaching with kindness and patience to her. Sonia could have amplified that connection, made her think she and Marcos went further back than she originally knew. But he knew that Sonia wouldn't risk that uncertainty. He thought of the feeling he got when he looked into Clarice's eyes and wondered if Sonia saw the spark she left in him too.

Sonia knew first hand that he liked to bring in the lost ones, provide a steady haven for those lost at sea. Perhaps she thought that his careful monitoring of Clarice more than strictly platonic. His brow furrowed at that thought, wondering if that was the thing she thinks he'd missed. It concerned him that she noticed that he was taking note of Clarice and further thought that she might have drawn the wrong conclusions. After all, he was still trying to get his head together about Sonia and he already said they couldn't get involved if they were working together. Why would Sonia think that might be different if it were Clarice? They would still be working together. All of them would be working together!

He shook his head and growled in frustration at the way his thoughts seemed to be going in circles. Putting his mug down he closed his eyes and leant forward, resting his head on his knees. He breathed in the night air slowly, listening to the life and earth around him. He could hear the wind rustling the grass, the hoot of a nearby owl, and the collective different breaths of the inhabitants behind him. He breathed out and felt the cleansing sense of relief as he expelled all of the frustration he could feel and thought once more of the jade that his grandmother had. He'd always liked that shade of green.

Sighing, he picked up his mug and finished off his tea, turning back to head inside. His shoulders were looser than they were an hour ago and it was time to rest. He would deal with Sonia and… Clarice, in the morning.

xx

He decided it would be best to tackle Sonia first. She was familiar ground and he needed some answers so he could know how to tackle Clarice. He brewed two mugs of tea and took his, going out to sit on the steps outside. Shortly after he heard the door opening and closing and the warm presence of Sonia at his side. He looked at the sun, just barely rising over the treetops, and let the silence sit for a few minutes. Sonia had never been good at the silence but today she seemed to be making an effort. She was afraid he was mad at her, he knew. He was, but it wouldn't last.

"So how long have you thought that Clarice had feelings for me?" He broke the silence with that, carefully keeping himself mostly out of the equation. He heard her intake of breath and he knew that her head was turned to look at him. She was always one for eye contact.

"Since you came back with her," she said haltingly, quietly. She didn't know if she should speak more as he nodded his head slowly. "Look, Johnny, I'm sorry-"

"It's a bit late for that, Sonia." He cut her off, not needing her apologies at the moment. "How far back into her memory did you go?" He needed a timeline so that he could acclimate to the new reality.

"Six months. I had to account for her prison stay and you had to have met her before that. She was there for four months so you'd known each other for two." Sonia said this in a rush, as if saying it quickly would make the words less damning. The impact wasn't lessened at all, she could see it in the way his jaw clenched slightly. The jaw and shoulders, those were always John's tells.

"How did you account for her prison stay? Did you alter that too?" His breath was harsh and his words were low, but he remained unmoving. Instead his eyes focused on a squirrel skittering up a tree and he tracked that, keeping the breath coming.

"I had to adjust some things. You were ripped away from her running from Sentinel Services. You tried to get to her but you got separated. She was unbelievably surprised to see you the other night and didn't know how to feel. The two of you hadn't seen each other in four months but had only known the other for two." She continued in that rushed fashion, turning her head away from his face. Sonia couldn't look at him any more, to measure his responses. After the first one, she knew where she stood and she couldn't bear seeing the disappointment track across his face.

He remained silent for a long time, taking in her fabrications. Something about the last sentence caught his attention. "What made her sure? Why did she pick me as her focus?"

It took her a long time to answer that one. She spoke, but her words were quiet then, as if she didn't want them to escape her body. "Remember New York? The rainstorm and Chinese food?"

He turned to her then, to see her face. His brow furrowed at the sad expression she wore, it was a different kind of sad. A sort of longing for days gone by. "Of course I do." He answered her, just as softly.

"Well you kept that stupid receipt from the cheesey Chinese place and kept it in your wallet for the last five months. You showed it to her after the portal incident. You told her that being separated from her four months ago had been one of the most terrifying moments of your life. You were looking for her all this time and when you'd heard there had been a mutant that broke out of prison…" She still didn't look at him, but her voice got more desperately quiet as the tale went on.

"I went looking for her, to see if I could find the girl I'd met six months ago." He finished the thought. "You kept that receipt? After all this time?" At her nod, he reached for her and she turned to hold him back just as tightly.

"I'm sorry I did this to us, Johnny, I really am." She whispered, breath catching with the weight of her actions following close behind. "You asked her if you two had another chance, if she could give you two a chance. She laughed and said she'd been to prison, it couldn't get much worse than that. Then her eyes softened and your lips quirked up in the small, shy smile of yours. That's when Marcos interrupted you two to get you to the Struckers."

He could feel her shaking, trying to keep the emotions together. He knew what they had was done. She was letting him go, she knew that the memories had a better chance of taking root if there were some base feelings for the heart to hold onto. "You knew that I could grow to have feelings for her." He said, voice still low to keep the words from leaving their little bubble on the porch.

"I saw the potential. I just… Sped things up a little." Sonia hiccuped a laugh and pressed her face into his neck. She breathed him in one last time and pulled away. "I'm going to go get breakfast. Are we, I mean, are we-"

"We're going to be fine," John reassured her and he saw the relief flood her face and bring colour back into her cheeks. "I'm still mad as hell at you, but we're going to be fine." He watched as she choked out a laugh, her eyes sparkling at him as she turned and went back inside. He chose to remain outside for a few moments more. The sun had risen higher, painting the sky in a kaleidoscope of colours. He breathed in the cool morning air and relaxed his shoulders again.

He supposed that he could just go up to Clarice and say that he reconsidered. That based off the last few days and everything that happened with the Struckers, they would be better off if they didn't get attached. He knew she would initially be upset, but she would adjust to the idea and he would be able to teach her to create a new focus. Maybe concentrate on a friendship with Marcos. He rolled his shoulders a little at that, realising that he'd gotten a little more tense thinking about it.

The other side of the coin would be to give them a chance. To go to her and apologise for being a jerk yesterday and that he'd had a lot on his mind the last few days and needed time to process it all. It wouldn't disturb the memories she had of six months ago and he could propose they start fresh, as if the last six months hadn't happened at all. Sonia would have make the memories seamless so she wouldn't suspect anything and he could teach her to stabilise her powers and eventually not use him as a crutch for them. It would be fairer if he proposed they start fresh. He thought they had a good chance, that they could be happy together. He just had to protect her from the memories that weren't hers and everything would be fine.


	3. deja vu

A/N: Well that was a pretty cool episode last week. Not quite how I thought it was going to go to be honest but hey, it was good. I'm hoping to continue a weekly update but haven't decided on Mondays for sure yet. Would you guys like it to be more on Friday or Thursday so you get your ThunderBlink fix in between the canon or just keep it as a double whammy? Let me know in the reviews. Thank-you for reading!

into the dark

The sound of heavy boots by her bed woke her up. She had been lightly dozing for the last hour, trying to get as much sleep as she could before she fell back into the cold water of reality. She didn't sleep well last night, confused over the man she thought she might have strong feelings for. The reason why she thought she had strong feelings and didn't know for sure is because after the adrenaline wore off and during the evening yesterday, she came to question if they were even her own. Yes, they had New York and two months together, but there was something that was niggling in the back of her mind that told her something was wrong.

She'd tossed and turned, trying to convince herself that she was being paranoid, but the way he had looked at her… It was as if they were practically strangers. And when he'd hesitated to hug her back, there was something familiar but not about the hold. She knew they'd hugged before, she remembered it, but his body felt unfamiliar to hers. Her head had been through a lot in the last few days, with the fever and the loss of control over her powers, maybe she just needed time to remember what it was like to touch him.

The floor creaked and she moaned and threw an arm over her eyes, shadowing them from the daylight. "Come on sleepyhead, rise and shine." She heard his voice and her arm slowly lowered for her to squint blearily at him. She grumbled and rolled over, planting her face into the pillow more. "Don't make me pull the blankets." The warning floated over to her, an undercurrent of amusement showing in his tone that said he would totally do it.

"You wouldn't do that," She murmured, voice muffled by the pillow. He had no problem picking it up and she felt a slight breeze as he lifted the bottom half of her covers. She screeched a little and pulled her legs up away from the exposed air. "John!" She'd rolled over and was glaring full force at him.

He dropped the blankets at her facial expression, a small smile creeping up his face. "Okay okay, stow the angry spirit animal." He teased, his voice low.

Clarice couldn't help but melt a little at the teasing, it was rare that he did that. He was trying to make up for yesterday, she could tell. "Are you done being a weirdo and ignoring me?" She asked bluntly. She watched his shoulder rise infinitesimally and she knew she'd hit a sore spot. She couldn't find it in herself to feel bad about it.

"I apologise for being ...distant yesterday. It's been a hectic week and I had a lot to process." He looked beseechingly at her, hands shoved in his pockets uncomfortably. "Can we just… can we start over?"

Clarice's brows furrowed in confusion over the complete change of character from yesterday. He seemed more familiar today, more tangible in her head than yesterday. But yesterday, when he was distant, it hurt but it didn't feel like they were supposed to be together. That aspect was familiar to her as well. Now he wanted to start over? Start over from when? "Start over?" She echoed her thoughts aloud.

She watched his shoulders go up again and he breathed out slowly, lowering them. "Yeah, fresh. New start. No dramatic chinese receipts or Sentinel Services." His tone was almost… sheepish? She didn't think she'd ever heard him that way before. It was pretty endearing. She watched as he rubbed the back of his neck and she wasn't positive but she was pretty sure a blush was coming up his neck.

He was the perfect picture of sorry boyfriend. A warm feeling spread through her at the thought and that feeling was very familiar. "Fine." She answered and his hand dropped from his neck.

"Fine?" She listened to his tone. It was more of disbelief than anything. She didn't know why though, she felt like she could trust him. Had trusted him. Trusted him still.

"Yeah, fine. Hi, I'm Clarice, nice to meet you." She smiled and held out her hand.

He stepped forward, away from the foot of the bed where he'd resided the entire conversation. He looked more sure of himself then and that was familiar to her too. "Hi. I'm John. John Proudstar." He answered back and clasped her hand in a firm handshake. Her stomach jumped at the contact, as if she'd gotten shocked through the inside out. She watched as his brows furrowed in response to the contact and she pulled her hand away, as if singed.

"What was that?" She asked, worry undercutting her tone. His breath had changed, not very noticeably, but it had and that meant something. "You felt that too, didn't you?" His eyes looked into hers, the calm in the depths reassuring her worry.

"I did," He answered, his voice serious and strong. But his eyes changed to something lighter. "Maybe it's your spirit animal trying to eat me." Her laugh escaped her before she gave her body permission to let it go. "Come on, let's have breakfast together."

She threw back the covers and pulled some oversized sweatpants over the sleep shorts she had on previously. Not much point in trying further than that since they were starting fresh and all that. She scrubbed at her face and yawned, following him into the kitchen. "Oatmeal today? Toast? Pancakes?" She asked him.

"Oatmeal, I'm afraid. It's cheap and we can get it easily. I have some brown sugar, syrup, whatever in the cupboards if you like." He answered, setting to making them breakfast. She collapsed in the chair and rested her chin on her hands. This, too, felt familiar and yet unfamiliar. Maybe she was getting a serious case of déjà vu.

"Brown sugar please," She answered and proceeded to watch him prepare their food. She yawned further and was delighted when a tea was set directly in front of her face. She smiled at him appreciatively. She dumped sugar and milk into it and stirred, bringing the cup to her mouth and inhaling the smell."So are we starting over as in the two months we were together didn't happen or?" She watched his shoulders lift slightly as he stirred the pot with their oatmeal in it. "It's okay if that's what you want to do," She continued and watched his shoulders lower a little. "I mean, the two months we had together… it feels like it's not real. Like a dream that isn't mine. Does it feel like that for you too or am I just being crazy?"

He turned to grab some cinnamon out of the cupboard and added some to the mix, stirring some more. It was longer for him to answer still. "New York was a crazy time for me. I was working on the Underground more and more, expanding outreach projects, communicating with other factions, finding others of our kind to lead home to a safe place. I wasn't in the right mindset to have a serious relationship and even now things are complicated. Still, the world has a sense of humour when it throws people into your life you're not prepared for." He laughed and turned the stove off, bringing two bowls to the table. He settled down and looked at her then, unwaveringly, unblinkingly. "I don't regret anything that happened in New York, but I'm a different person now. I want you to know that person."

Clarice nodded in understanding and smiled the smallest of smiles at him, watching his eyes soften in response. She reached across the table and placed her hand over his. The same shock happened again, but it was stronger and somehow not scary. He turned his hand over and curled his fingers around her hand. "I like that idea," She answered haltingly, brow furrowed slightly as the warmth of his hand enveloped hers. They were interrupted as Marcos came to the table and Clarice pulled her hand away, scared that he'd seen them. She looked at John and his brow had furrowed again, but he was looking at Marcos' face so she wasn't sure how he felt about her pulling away.

"We have to get to Lorna, John. It's been too long already. I've heard from a contact that they're moving her and Reed Strucker to a new facility out of state. If that happens then we're never going to get her back." His tone was impatient, but there was a strong undercurrent of worry in his voice. Clarice knew that he was hurting and he needed Lorna back as soon as possible. He'd kept up a strong front for awhile, but she could see Lorna's absence was wearing at him. He'd not slept properly in days.

She met John's gaze across the table and she watched his eyes widen slightly. She knew that she was wearing that stubbornly determined look she got when she made up her mind about something. His facial features compressed as he took her expression in and he let out a sigh. "We'll gather everyone together. Discuss a plan of action." John responded and Marcos' eyes lit up in excitement at his response.

"Finally! I'll get everyone together. Five minutes, the living room?" Marcos asked and left at John's nod. Clarice smiled at the man's excitement but couldn't help but feel a note of dread curling in her stomach. They were jumping into the ocean once again.

She jumped slightly as a warm, familiar hand enveloped hers once again. Her emerald eyes looked into warm brown ones and she felt more calm. "I guess we should eat quickly then." He said and she smiled gratefully at him, to express her thanks for not bringing up her fear. They sat and ate breakfast like that, hands linked across the table.

xx

John was worried, she could tell. He was pacing in the vault, sequestered away from the rest of the warehouse and trying not to worry the others. But Clarice couldn't stay far from him. She approached quietly but knew that he knew she was coming. He slowed his pacing and leaned up against the desk, starting to fuss with the cinderblocks Marcos had been working on before.

"You know, it's okay to be worried about him." She said, her voice soft in the silence of the vault. It did feel like they were in another part of the world in there, the sounds of everyone in the warehouse muffled and distant.

"I'm not…" He seemed to reconsider the denial, "He's just up against some people that took advantage of him in the past and I don't want that to happen to him again."

She watched him rub his forehead with his fingers, signalling the headache that was residing there. The silence rested a few moments and she approached him slowly. "Here," she whispered, bringing her hands up to his face. His jaw clenched in a display of nervous tension but relaxed at the feeling of whisper soft fingers fluttering against his cheeks. They traced the strong line of his jaw, pressing gently at the junction between bone and ear, circling some of the tension out.

The bone of his jaw lowered as he opened his mouth to speak. "You don't have to-"

Her fingers pressed at the junction again and his mouth stopped moving, slightly open but allowing calmer breaths to enter and exit his body. "I want to," She murmured and those feather light fingers danced up his skull and massaged into his forehead, smoothing out the almost constant wrinkles left by a worried brow. His eyes slammed shut as her fingers skillfully danced over his temples, drawing a rumbling sound from his body. Her fingers slipped into his hair in a soothing and almost familiar fashion, as if she'd done it a thousand times. From there she scritched gently at his scalp, loosening the ponytail that customarily held his hair back. She watched as strands escaped the elastic band and framed his face, now completely relaxed under her ministrations. This a rare glimpse into what John looked like with his guard down and her emerald eyes glowed with the realisation that he was letting her in. Reluctantly, she slowly pulled away, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear as gently as he could. His eyes opened to meet verdant jade, warm brown soft in relaxation. "Better?" She asked, voice barely a breath of sound unwilling to break the moment they found themselves in.

"Better." He answered back, his voice a deep sexy rasp that had the hairs on her arms standing on end and a delicious shiver travelling down her spine.


	4. run

**A/N:** So I tried to have this up for yesterday or the day before to be honest with you but I didn't succeed hahah. I'm aiming for a Thursday or Friday upload next week because someone did vote for the mid-week pick me up. Thank-you for your reviews! I can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter.

into the dark

The sight of his former best friend blindsided him for a moment, breath caught uneasily in his chest. He could dimly hear Clarice asking him questions and he shook his head slowly, trying to clear it of the white noise that had descended upon him the moment he realised who he was looking at. The words she was pelting at him finally registered and his eyes snapped to meet her emerald ones, sparking with worry at his sudden silence.

"Not what, but who." He answered and disembarked from where they were, searching for a better angle to see him. "His name is Pulse. I haven't seen him in a long time."

"He stops mutants from using their powers?" She asks, a note of slight hysteria seeping slowly into her voice. "Permanently or?"

"No, only when he's doing it consciously. He disrupts everything, which for mutants means disrupting their powers. I've got this, you go find the others." He instructed and started to move.

He started to sneak up on two of the soldiers and deciding that incapacitating them and making sure Pulse didn't see him would be the best course of action. He leapt out and quickly dealt with them, coming up behind Pulse and tackling him to the ground. Immediately some of his strength came back but it wasn't at full capacity as he was so close to Pulse. They wrestled more, trying to get the upper hand and he heard the distinct pop of Clarice's portal shutting. That cleared some of the worry in his head because it meant she was away from danger too. The moment of distraction cost him, however, as Pulse got ahold of his throat in their tussle.

"Pulse, it's me, John," He wheezed, as the grip on his neck became tighter. He started to struggle more but Pulse had pulled all the strength from him and what human strength he had was fading with the lack of oxygen. Dark spots had started to creep around his vision and he could hear himself dimly gasping for air.

His grip on reality was quickly becoming loose as he desperately drank in as much air as he could. Dimly he heard a crack somewhere above him and suddenly everything was back in almost too much clarity. The first thing he saw were those jade eyes that were filled with worry and the next was the image of a shovel being thrown to the ground. The first thing he felt was the impact of a small body against his as Clarice threw her arms around his torso and gripped him tightly. Slowly his arms came around her smaller frame and his nose was in her hair, inhaling the scent that was distinctly Clarice. Past the fear and the rapidly beating heart, he took in the slight scent of jasmine that seemed to follow her and then the smell of crushed leaves and crisp air that demarcated the scent of her portals. He breathed her in as his nerves settled and his lungs resumed their natural rhythm.

"You've got this, huh?" Clarice's voice was clogged with sarcasm and just underneath a current of worry that she tried to cover up by slowly raising herself up onto her haunches.

The smallest smile encroached on John's face at the comment. "I would have turned the tables," He answered teasingly back. He inhaled sharply as she shifted her weight to dislodge a rock that was digging into her knee. The sound drew her attention to the man below her and her jade eyes widened significantly at their position. She scrambled off of him and turned away, pretending to survey the unconscious bodies for movement.

For his part, John slowly got up, his lungs protesting at the movement and his head starting to swim. They needed to wrap this up and quickly. He looked at Clarice's back, thinking about how comfortable it was to have her straddling him, teasing each other. He shook his head. It wasn't the time. "Come on, they're not getting up anytime soon." He said and she turned to look at him, the faintest blush still on her cheeks. She nodded and followed him though, as they picked their way closer to the other skirmish that was happening around the building.

They slid in behind the car that Marcos was sitting at and his hands sparked crazily as he muttered to himself. "How are we doing?" John asked, risking a look through the window. Two pot shots rang out as he quickly ducked back down again. "That bad, huh?"

Marcos choked out a laugh and stopped when he caught sight of John's face. "You're bleeding." He announced in utter disbelief, eyes trained on the trail of blood that had dried on John's lip. "How are you bleeding?"

"Long story. Think you can provide a distraction?" John asked, listening for the other heartbeats in the area and pegging down the locations. They needed to get out of there quickly, Lorna and Reed were running out of time.

"Yeah, I just have-" Marcos was cut off as a huge groaning noise came somewhere inside the bus. John risked a peek up through the window and saw that every Sentinel agent was staring at the bus in concern. He saw the head guy start to mutter angrily into his radio and gestured at the bus, the other agents raising their guns in defence.

The back door of the bus blew off with great force, hitting two of the closest agents and sending them flying. Emerging from the dark was a spark of dark green hair and luminescent white skin as Lorna disembarked from the bus. Her hands were at the ready, catching the wall of bullets flew at her, arranging a shield for her and coming to the defence of Reed as he visibly limped off of the bus. She held that moment just long enough for Reed to stand at her back, and what a sight they made.

John heard Marcos' breath catch at the sight of his girlfriend standing in front of the Prosecutor and he placed a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from doing something stupid. His grip on Marcos' shoulder tightened as Lorna dropped the bullets and with a jerk of her hand the guns that the agents were holding leapt out of their grasps and landed closer to her than them. She pushed forward with her hands, dropping into a lunge to give her more force as she used the metal on their gear to launch them in the air and incapacitate them. John, seeing the threat handled, let go of Marcos who immediately raced to embrace Lorna, and their two bodies collided in their need for contact of another.

John followed at a slightly more sedate pace and smiled at Lorna who could see him over Marcos' shoulder. His ears pricked as instinct took over and he tackled the two of them to the ground and he sensed Reed close by as he flattened himself against the car. The head Sentinel agent had grabbed a gun and shot at them. Before he could get any orders out he heard Clarice's voice.

"Guys come on, it's time to go!" She shouted, holding open a portal just out of sight of the agent. Just as her words got out, John stared as Caitlin snuck up behind the agent. She hit him with a plank of wood and staggered but turned, grabbing her as he fell.

"Caitlin!" Reed yelled, starting to stagger toward her. He only stopped as John threw an arm out.

"Marcos, get Mr. Strucker out of here. I've got Caitlin." He ordered and approached the fighting figures. He lunged forward as the agent reached for the gun and he pulled it out of his grasp. Training the sights on the agent, he watched as the man stiffened and loosened his hold over Caitlin. "Let her go," he ordered, voice even but threatening. It was a voice that he'd used many times over the years in the marines. The agent slowly released his hold on Caitlin and she scrambled out from under him. He heard her run to Reed and listened as the four of them went through Clarice's portal. He backed up slowly, keeping his eyes on the agent as Clarice made a small noise of distress. He turned quickly and the portal flickered and disappeared as he made eye contact with Clarice and the smell of copper hit his olfactory senses. His gaze snapped to her arm which was steadily bleeding underneath the hand that was pressed to it. Several things happened at once then: he heard the agent move, his body closed the distance between him and Clarice and there was the sound of a gunshot. He felt the wind of the bullet as it flew past his ear and he twisted his body, throwing a couple of shots back to the agent. His arm was finally around her smaller frame and they were running, ducking amongst the debris and turning corners quickly. He heard the sound of footsteps behind him and he threw a couple more shots over his shoulder, near misses that would slow him down enough for them to get ahead.

"Clarice, I need you to open another portal. We have to get to a car." He murmured to her as they ducked behind a dumpster and turned another corner. He heard her breath catch in pain and his stomach clenched in response.

"I-I don't even know if I can make one now," She answered, her face compressed in pain. "Oh god, I just made it out of this, I can't go back now, I can't-"

John's hands came up to cup her face. "Clarice," He said and her eyes remained shut. "Clarice look at me." Those jade eyes seared into him and he felt the connection they had again. "I'm here, you can do it."

He watched as she searched his eyes for a moment and then she nodded. The footsteps were getting closer and they could hear multiple voices. They had to go. She stepped back and John stepped around her, holding onto her wound so she could use both hands. Her eyes shut again and she felt John's strong, warm presence behind her. She focused on that, drew strength from the sound of his breath, sure and steady. With a small groan of effort, she made a portal and they went through it, appearing in an old storefront a few blocks away.

He looked in askance of her and she shrugged saying that she'd seen it as they were driving into town. The blinds were open so she could see everything clearly. It was always good to have a place nearby that she could picture clearly just in case. Just in case. His brow furrowed at those three words and not for the first time he imagined her life before him and before jail and his mouth compressed in a thin line. He watched as she stumbled over to a chair and slumped into it, hand holding the wound again.

Shaking himself, he drew the blinds closed and looked around for something he could wrap her wound with. They were in what looked like an old barber shop and Clarice had collapsed in one of the worn old red chairs meant for patrons. His eyes alighted on some fabric that was sticking out of a drawer and he pulled that open, finding rags and longer scarf like fabrics used for pressing against the face with warm water. He took a longer thinner one and pulled open a few more drawers. Aha, alcohol! He nicked that and strode over to her, crouching to get at eye-level with the wound.

"The bullet just skimmed you, it didn't go in so we can at least be thankful for that. No major artery either, thank god. If was a few inches above, it would have hit your axillary and we would have been in a lot of trouble then." He ripped off a piece of the fabric and poured the alcohol over it. "This is going to sting but we need to make sure the bullet didn't have anything on it." He warned, "I'm going to put it on at one, three, two-" He placed the fabric over the wound and wiped it down cleaning the surrounding area. She hissed in response and her body jerked at the sensation.

"I thought you said you were going to do it on one," She growled, her fist clenching in agitation. The contraction of her muscles made more blood ooze out of the wound. "Oops."

"Yeah best not to move that arm too much until I've got it wrapped," He answered and started doing just that. He took the end of the cloth and placed it directly over the wound and held it there, his fingers wrapping warm around her bicep. He used his other hand to wrap it, first loose layers and then tighter to hold things together. He tied it off properly and leaned back, looking at his handiwork. "That should do until Caitlin can take a closer look at it."

"Thanks," Her voice was hushed in the quiet of the shop and he realised that he'd been keeping his voice low too. He nodded in response and noticed that some of the colour was missing from her face. He probably didn't look much better, his voice had a rasp to it and he could feel the bruises developing over his windpipe. He'd be better in a day but as it was, exhaustion was setting in with the loss of adrenalin.

"Come on, we have to get moving, they'll be searching the neighbouring area." He said, and he helped her up, steadying her for a moment before she nodded for him to let go of her. Instead of letting go of her completely, his hand slid down her uninjured arm and he grasped her hand in a reassuring grip. They looked at each other once more and after a few moments, they started to move.

They took the back door out of the building and they started the game of staying discreetly out of sight and then finally, on a busy street, slipping in the crowd and blending in with everyone else. He kept Clarice closer to the building than the street just in case and they travelled like that for about an hour, keeping their heads down. They slipped into a side street and started to work in the opposite direction, away from both where the street cams might have pegged them and from the transport vehicle route. They kept going that way, walking further and further from the point of interest. John kept an ear out the entire time and though he didn't say anything of it, Clarice clutched to his hand tightly as night began to fall. They reached the outskirts of town and they found forest.

John lead the way even more after that, finding his stride well in the wilderness. Eventually they found an outcropping of rocks that had a pretty thick overhang of greenery and John hopped down off of the drop. He turned and lifted his hands up in the universal sign of 'I'll catch you.' Clarice lifted a brow in doubt but at his slight smile she huffed tiredly and jumped slightly, shutting her eyes tightly. He caught her easily, pressing her close to him briefly before putting her down. He lifted the greenery and they shimmied into the small alcove.

"You know, when I started my day, this is not how I envisioned it ending," Clarice muttered, a note of sarcasm heavy in her hushed voice.

"Yeah well, it ended better than I thought it would," John answered honestly. He held his arm up and at her extremely raised eyebrows he rolled his eyes, "We need to keep warm."

Clarice hesitated for a moment and then after the tiniest of shrugs, she shuffled underneath his arm and pressed her body against him, head resting on his shoulder. "What about the others?"

John thought about that for a minute. Marcos would know better than to come racing to save him and Lorna knew how well John could survive on his own. "Lorna and Marcos will handle things while we make our way back. Until then, we're on our own." He settled a bit better into the rock wall and leaned his head back so he could see the small bits of darkness through the foliage. His breath stuttered a moment as Clarice settled a little more into him, a leg thrown between his and her head turned slightly so her cheek was pressed slightly to his collar bone. He was in for a long night of watch, but as he listened to Clarice's breath even out, he realised that his day really had ended better than he thought it would.


End file.
